Voting isn't the solution to every American problem, but in Ferguson, Missouri, this Tuesday, with the first city council elections in the seven months since unarmed teenager Mike Brown was killed by police there, it has the chance to really change the face, tenor, and tone of local politics in a major way. With the city reeling from
the Department of Justice report on rampant racism and systemic discrimination, Ferguson has either fired or seen the recent resignations of its
city manager,
police chief, police captain, court clerk, and
municipal judge. New records requests continue to reveal
just how disturbingly racist Ferguson officials truly were.
The city council will play a primary role in the restructuring of the local government.
Three of the six city council positions are up for grabs. Currently, although Ferguson is two-thirds African American, it only has one black councilman. While several African-American residents are running for the three available seats, Bob Hudgins, a progressive white man who has been a protestor in Ferguson himself, is also running in a predominantly white district.
It was the current city council, dominated by conservatives, that voted to give outrageous severance packages to the police chief, the Ferguson city manager, and other members of the local government who were cited for racism and discrimination in the DOJ report on Ferguson.
While the upcoming elections in Ferguson present an amazing opportunity, victories are not assured and people must show up to vote in huge numbers in order to win these races. In 2013, only 6 percent of eligible African-American voters turned out to vote. Drastically higher numbers will be needed to win these upcoming races.
We will be covering these races throughout the day Tuesday. Stay tuned.